Forgotten in Time
by WhenTheQuestionIsAsked
Summary: River must travel back in time and through a parallel universe to save the Doctor and help Rose Tyler. More on the inside. Just read. This is the prequel to my story Lost in Time. You don't have to read Lost in Time to enjoy this but you should anyway.
1. Chapter 1: Visitors

**Okay, so this is the prequel to my story "Lost in Time", you can find it on my account. So please enjoy and REVIEW. This story will probably be very short with longish chapters.**

**Chapter One: Visitors**

River flipped through her **TARDIS **blue diary. According to it she was supposed to meet the Doctor, Amy and Rory in just eight more days, so they could go save some universe from the Bijouz. She had been looking forward to it for weeks, having only left her dingy cell twice in the last three months; she was beginning to get bored.

"There's some humans here to see you River." A guard said tapping on her cell bars.

River stood up and opened up the door for him. They had stopped locking it all together now, knowing that it wouldn't stop her.

"They couldn't wait just a few more days, could they?" River smiled, leaning against the metal cell bars. "Is a man with a bow tie with them?"

"No, it's a couple of teens, girl and boy."

River's eye brows needed together.

"Is one red haired and the other, just sort of blonde, with a nose?" River motioned to the center of her face.

"The girl's hair is strawberry blonde and the boy's is black." He nodded. "He's pretty cute."

River smiled and raised her eyebrow. "I thought you were going with David from accounting Reg?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't still _notice _other blokes." He said grinning. "So do you want me to allow them through?"

River nodded and the guard, Reginald, went to retrieve them. It was probably students, wanting to meet the famous Professor Song. River sat back down on her bed and slid the diary underneath her pillow, out of sight.

The guard returned with two young people. The girl had straight, shoulder length strawberry blond hair that stuck out from under a red, knitted beanie. Almost everything about her was red: her square rimmed glasses, her lipstick, her fitted sweater, and her boots. Her finger nails were even a shiny red. The only things that were not red were her black dress pants and a tan, cracked leather bag that hung over her shoulder. The boy was just a bit taller than the girl. He wore a dark blue (not **TARDIS** blue) long sleeved shirt and black denims. He did indeed have hair as black as the night. He was also very good looking.

The girl smiled at River. "Hullo, my name is Belle Noel Tyre and this is James Johnson."

"Jimmy." The boy raised his hand in the hair. "Hello."

"American?" River said, surprised.

"What gave me away?"

"The accent was a contributing factor."

"Ah, yes that gets me every time." He looked genuinely upset by this.

The girl shook her head. "Are we really having this conversation again?" she looked at River, apologetically. "It's a bit of an obsession of his."

River nodded. "Writing a paper on me are you?"

Belle and Jimmy glanced at each other.

"This is _so _weird." Jimmy whispered to her. "I mean _her _meeting _us_."

"Well it was going to happen eventually James." She whispered back.

River leaned forward and smiled. She whispered. "You do realize that this is a very small cell and that I can hear everything you are saying, since you are less than two feet away from me, don't you?"

Belle blushed.

"How old are you two? You can't be more than twenty."

"James is seventeen and I am sixteen."

"You're young, how did you get involved with…whatever it is you are here for?"

Belle and Jimmy exchanged another glance. It was James who answered. "We can't tell you that, sorry."

River nodded and leaned back, her eyes focused on Belle. "Tyre? That is a very unusual surname isn't it?"

"So is Song or…Pond." Belle smiled a bit.

River froze. "Reggie, why don't you go get a cup of tea?"

Reggie glanced up from Jimmy's backside. "I'm not supposed to leave you alone with guest."

"If she's going to run away, she's going to run away." Jimmy pointed out .

"Yes, go ahead and grab a cuppa tea, Reg." Belle said, smiling a charming smile, showing her straight white teeth.

Reggie gave them both a suspicious looks but turned and left. River stood and stared at them.

"Who are you?"

"Spoilers Ms. Song, spoilers." Belle reached into her leather bag and pulled out a plate sized metal disk with a hole in the middle of it. It gleamed in the fluorescent lights.

"What is that?"

"It is a Model 4 Diviner." Belle said. She looked at River uncertainly. "Do you…know what that is?"

"Vaguely."

"It is a type of device used to—" Belle began but Jimmy put a hand on her arm.

"It is all explained in the letter, Bells. Just give it to her." he said, pulling out a small manila envelope from the leather bag. He handed it to River, who took it hesitantly.

Belle nodded and handed the disk over to River. River put the envelope under her arm and took the disk in both of her hands. She looked it over.

"Careful, it can be…touchy." Belle backed up a bit.

"So what else can you tell me?" River said, eyeing them.

"Whatever you need to know is in there." Jimmy said nodding to the envelope and put a hand on Belle's upper arm, pulling her out of the cell.

Belle looked reluctant to leave, like she wanted to say more, but she didn't.

River stepped out of the cell with them, watching them back away. "Wait, when will I see you again?"

"_You _won't see us for quite some time."

"What do you mean that I won't? What, you will?"

Jimmy looked at the tight lipped Belle. "She said she would be by for lunch on Sunday, right?"

Belle nodded, still looking at River.

"What is it Miss Tyre?"

"I-I…" she looked up at James who gave her a gently frown. She looked back at River. "It was lovely meeting you Riv-Ms. Song."

And before she knew it, they had disappeared into the dark corridor. River stood there, dumbfounded (which didn't happen often), with the shiny disk in her hand and a light envelope in the other. After a silent minute, she stepped back into her cell, shutting the door with her elbow and sat down on the bed.

On the outside there was a note in familiar hand writing that said:

Belle and James, there is a note inside there for you, the rest is for the other one.

River looked at the handwriting. It was so familiar. She pulled the diary out from under her pillow. She opened it to a random page near the later pages and put the envelope and the page, side by side.

They were identical. The handwriting on the envelope was hers. Now even more curious, River reached deep into it and pulled out small microchip that had—in her handwriting—"River watch me" written on it in small letters.

River pulled out a loose brick from the wall behind her and a small sceen fell out on to the bedspread, along with some loose gravel from the wall.

River pushed the microchip into the little computer and a little menu hologram popped up in the air just above the screen. It was a video head shot of herself.

"Play." River ordered.

The image sprang to life. "So I see you have officially met Belle and James. Nice aren't they? Good kids, it's too bad that you won't see them again anytime soon. I will. But listen, I have a lot to tell you, and it's not something that is written in your diary…yet."

River knew she should feel confused, but this wasn't the first time she had gotten a mysterious message from herself. But this was the first time that she had had the message delivered to her.

The video continued. "There is a document attached to this chip that will give you times and dates, but I have to tell you face to face what you need to expect. Are you ready?"

River didn't know why, but she nodded. "Yes."

Half an hour later, River was packing a bag.

Reggie was leaning against the wall by her cell door. "I thought you said you wouldn't have to leave before Sunday?"

"Time changes Reg."

"Don't you mean things change?" when River didn't respond, he changed the subject. "What did those kids want?"

River wasn't sure how she should respond to that so she just didn't. Reggie didn't push it any further.

"Is my Vortex Manipulator still in evidence?" River asked, putting her diary in her bag and the then the little computer screen on top of it. The chip was no longer in it; she had already destroyed it by smashing it with the loose brick.

"If you mean that funny bracelet, then yes." Reggie opened the cell door for her. She stepped out, he shut it and locked it behind her, and when he turned back to her she was giving him the look.

"Lipstick or..?" he held both her fist up in a fighting stance. She enjoyed the later one the most.

Reggie thought about this for a moment. "The lipstick; I got a concussion the last time you hit me."

River pulled out a gold and white tube of lipstick from her coat pocket. She applied it around her lips, careful not to let it get on her skin.

"I keep forgetting to ask: why doesn't the lipstick affect you?" he asked, pulling out his gun and giving it to River.

"It is designed not to react with my genetic material. But if it gets on my skin, it makes it red."

Reggie nodded like this made sense to him, though it didn't.

"Are you ready?" River asked him. He nodded and she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, pressing hard so she could make sure it worked. Reggie didn't kiss her back; he had tried it once, but it had been very awkward for the both of them. Especially with Reggie drooling afterward as the lipstick began to work.

As River stepped back, Reggie swayed a bit.

"Did I give you my gun?" Reggie asked, his eyes drooping.

"Yes. Should I handcuff you to the bars again? You know what happened last time you were free to roam around in this state."

Reggie nodded and laughed a bit madly. River pulled the handcuffs out of his belt and deftly handcuffed him to the bars.

He laughed again. "Have fun River."

River picked up her bag and waved goodbye to the humming guard.

About three minutes later River emerged from the staircase that brought her up into a waiting station. There was a janitor mopping up some spilled soda on the floor he waved to her. She waved back to him and opened the door that would take her to the evidence room. She passed through the hallway almost silently. She heard two women laughing and as she rounded the corner and recognised them instantly. It was Joy who worked in Evidence and her friend Sarah from Accounting.

Joy smiled as she spotted River. "It's in your box River. Can you save me the paperwork and check it out yourself? I have a date tonight and I was hoping that I could get off early."

River smiled. "Of course. How's the kids Sarah?"

"Maddy is cutting her first tooth." Sarah said ruefully.

"Oh that's too bad." River passed them and entered the Evidence room.

It was always cold in the evidence room. River had planned on getting Joy a heater for Christmas, but she had been detained, saving the universe and all. Her birthday was coming up, she'd have to put it on the list.

River headed straight back to the box section labeled 'S' and found her box. It was surrounded by many more boxes but they were all covered in dust, yet hers was clean. She opened the lid and pulled out the only thing that was in there: Her Vortex Manipulator. It gleamed a bit in the dull light and the leather crackled as she pulled it tight on her wrist.

It felt right, being on her wrist again. It was hers, all hers and one of the few things that she could always keep track of in her mad time lines.

"Where are you going this time?" it was Joy, she was standing by the single metal desk in the corner. She had a file under her arm.

River stretched her arm, letting the leather chafe her wrist a bit until it felt comfortable. "Earth."

Joy looked confused. "Earth? Earth was lost millenniums ago, before we were even terraforming Pluto. How could you—"

"Time Traveler, remember?" River grinned.

Joy nodded. "What…year then?"

"2008…nearly."

"Why, what's in 2008?"

River flexed once more and let her arm fall at her side, satisfied. She said nothing as she put the box back on the shelf and slid the lid back into place. She didn't answer, she was unsure of what she could say.

"What you can't tell me?" Joy laughed.

River said nothing, but gave her a look. Joy sobered up. "You can't tell me."

River had always thought as Joy as a friend, not just an acquaintance or the woman who made her fill out paper work to steal what was hers.

River finally looked at her friend. "There is a girl there who needs my help."

"Who is she? Must be someone special."

"She is. She is the most important person in time right now."

"Why?"

River nodded to the file. "Are those the papers I need to fill out?"

Joy's eyes flashed in annoyance at River's evasiveness. She tossed the file on her desk. "No, it is the file of someone they just brought in."

"What did they do?"

"Don't know, haven't read the file yet have I?" Joy sat down at her desk. There was a box there that River hadn't noticed before. It was an evidence box, new and clean. There were the initials N.L.T. written on it with permanent marker. She couldn't think of anyone with those initials and the thought slipped from her mind.

"So where is that paper work?"

"I can take care of it." Joy shook her head. "My date cancelled."

"I'm sorry."

Joy just nodded and went on reading the new file. River took this as goodbye and left the room without a second thought.

A centuries and train ride later (technically earlier), River was looking up at the great glass edifice she was about to walk into. It reflected the purple clouds and the grey sky. It was the tallest building in New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York, or so said the sign. River shook her head. "No wonder people just call it New New York."

The hospital was warm on the inside and River could instantly tell the difference in the air quality. Cat women in wimples walked past, glancing at her or ignoring her all together. Except one. One was walking toward River with purpose, her whiskered face serious and her shoulders back.

"I am Matron Minnow, welcome to the Hospital." She did not sound welcoming whatsoever.

"So you got my message then?" River said. Matron said nothing but turned on her heels and walked away, River followed her. She spoke once they were in a gold lift and alone.

"Yes I got your message, but before you see him, you need to know some things." she said, strictly. She input her security code into a small key pad on the door. "He is sick and old, you cannot stay long. Do not upset him or you will be asked to leave immediately…"

As the lift went up floor after floor, the Matron began to list off the do's and don'ts, but River tuned out, her mind traveling thousands of years away. But was it in the past or the future? She couldn't help but remember her own words in the message: _He will tell you where you need to go, but you may not like the answer. But you will have to do it. You have to._

"Ms. Song, are you listening to me?" the Matron glared at her.

"Every word Matron."

Matron Minnow said nothing but continued to glare as they stood there in silence for the last eleven floors. It wasn't until the lift dinged, telling them they had arrived at Ward 26, it finally dawned on River of the seriousness of the situation.

Matron Minnow stayed in the lift as River entered the room. It was white, like the rest of the hospital, and clean but it had an abandoned feeling to it.

"_Enter Melody Pond_." Said an eerie yet majestic voice. It seemed to echo from behind the long white curtain in the center of the room.

River walked forward hesitantly and pulled the curtain aside, the material fell to the ground. In a large glass container was large humanoid head. He looked older than River thought he would be, older than the Doctor had said he had looked. But then again, different time lines…

"You are the Face of Boe." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"_Yes_." It took River a moment to realize that the giant head's mouth was not moving, that he was telepathically speaking with her.

River knelt down to her knees in respect. "Do you know why I am here?"

"_Yes, you're companions told me long ago that you would appear to me one day_."

"My companions?" River worked alone or with the Doctor and her parents, and she had never called them her companions. "Who are my companions exactly?"

"_You have a more important question to ask me River Song_." The Face said.

River knew she had limited time, with the Matron waiting for her in the lift, ready to pounce.

River took a deep breath and asked the question that had been weighing on her since she had listened to herself give her orders. "How do I cross the Void and go into Other Earth, Rose Tyler's earth, I mean?"

The Face said nothing.

She repeated the question.

The Face still said nothing for a moment, but he blinked at her. "_You are in possession of a Diviner, are you not?"_

"How did you—"

"_I can sense its power, Miss Pond. It can give you whatever answer you need to know."_

River shook her head. "I can't. I was told not to use it."

The Face seemed to almost nod, as if he understood. _"Then I will tell you what I know, but you may not like the answer."_

"I know."

"_The journey you are on is a dangerous and precarious one and many lives depend on it, not just Rose Tyler's, but the Doctor's and your family's as well."_

She had not been told this. She had not been told much—she understood why—but she wished she had been told this.

"How do I get to Rose's world?"

_"I cannot give you an answer for what I do not know. But I know one who does."_

This caught River's attention. "Who?"

_"The one they call the Acquirer_." The Face said.

"No." River got up off her knees. "No. There must be someone else. _Anyone _else."

"_There is no one else."_

"But there hasto be, there _has_ to be." River was defiant. She would _not _ask that menace for help. Not even if her life depended on it.

But it wasn't her life that depended on it: it was everyone else's.

The Face waited patiently for her to come to this conclusion.

"Where can I find the Acquirer?"

The Matron said nothing as River stepped back onto the lift. She looked from River to the Face of Boe as she pressed the close doors button.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" the Matron asked.

"I'm not sure."

The lift stopped for a moment, the doors opened, and two novices stepped on, whispering about the awful traffic under the city. They got off a few floors later.

"That was Novice Dell and Novice Hame." She said dismissing them. "They apparently don't know to keep their work on their minds."

River didn't care. She was going to walk into the lion's den quite soon and couldn't think of anything else.

A damned little voice in the back of her head said _I said you weren't going like it._

As soon as the lift doors opened River nodded her thanks to Matron Minnow and disappeared into the crowd of people.

The New York underground was thriving. Vendors and peddlers shouted out words like "Bliss, get your Bliss here", and "Feeling blue? Get Happy high with always low prices." It was sickening to River how many people were running about, trying to get the latest mood enhancers. She wondered how long it would take until the Doctor got wind of it; he'd put a stop to it.

River had only been to the Underground once, but it wasn't the kind of place you forgot. It was clear that she was an outsider, from her leather to the shiny gun at her side. She wasn't supposed to be here just as much as she didn't want to be here. She knew someone was following her, she had known since she had passed the vendors selling Wisdom (not a best seller), but they were closing in; it was time to act.

"Honestly boys, you can't get anywhere with a girl if you are leering." River smiled as giant man in a black suit suite stepped out of the shadows from behind an overflowing skip.

His voice was deep and thick as it rumbled out of his tree trunk neck. "What is your business with the Acquirer Ms. Song?"

"Just checking up on an old friend." She smiled away as two more large men walked up behind her. "May I see the great one?"

The first man put a finger to the small electronic bud in his ear as someone spoke to him on the other end. The man nodded.

"Very well, your excellency." He waved the other two men off and motioned for River to follow him. He led her to a door in the back of an alley nearby and opened it to a dark corridor.

"The last door." The man said. River stepped inside and the door closed behind her. River felt her way along the cold walls until she felt her toes hit the end of the hallway. She could hear classical music playing from the room behind the door. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

The room was brightly lit which shined well on the wall to wall white and lilac. It smelled of roses and Claire de Lune played from an antique phonograph off to the side of the room near a long white settee with lilac throw pillows.

"Welcome River Song." Said the woman sitting on a lilac wing backed chair. She folded her hands, as if in prayer, over crossed legs.

"Acquirer." River said, smiling, but even she could hear how cold her voice was.

"No need for such formalities River, you know you may call me Iris." She said smiling. Her teeth were as pure white as the dress suit she wore. A purple diamond pin was nestled neatly in her tight, high black as night bun. Her lips were blood red. Who knew the devil's mistress could be so beautiful.

"Iris."

The Acquirer smiled as if this made her happier than anything else in the universe. "See isn't that better? May I pour you a drink?"

"No thank you. I am here on business."

Iris stood up and walked over to River, her hands still folded. "May I take your coat?"

"Iris, I have very little time, so I am going to keep this short: I need to get through the Void and into an alternate universe."

"Did you like what I have done with the décor? I try to keep it up with the latest styles in the universe—"

"Will you help me or not!" River shouted.

Iris stopped smiling. Her voice was calm, but anger edged at it like the jagged edges of broken glass. "It is not the matter of whether I will do it or not, but whether what _you_ will do for it River Song."

"What do you mean? You want a _favor _for helping me?"

Iris's smile returned but this time it more resembled a cat watching its prey than an angel torn from heaven. "You could call it that. Or you could call it a trade. If you want to cross the Void—_and_ come back through—you will owe me substantially."

River's eyed narrowed. Her voice made it clear that she would do anything. "What do you want?"

The Acquirer's eyes flashed. She had caught her mouse and now she was just playing with it. "Well, as of now, nothing. But I will need something eventually. And when I do, Ms. Song, you must be ready to deliver."

"And if I am otherwise occupied?"

"For your sake, let's hope that doesn't happen."

"Let's hope it doesn't. Now how does this work?"

The Acquirer smiled and pressed a button on her watch. A moment later a young girl, no older than fourteen, limped in carrying a silver tray with a tiny golden ink well, a feather quill and parchment. The girl was trying not to shake; her eyes were downcast in fear. She looked like she had been beaten recently and bruises went up and down her arms.

"Sign your name at the bottom."

River looked down to read the fine print, but the only words on the parchment were: I swear I will do what the Acquirer asks me to do in return she does what I ask.

River looked back up at the woman who was smiling at her intently. "No loop holes. Just what it says it is."

River picked up the quill and dipped it in the ink well. It came out dry.

"You are out of ink." River looked up and saw Iris pull the diamond pin out of her hair. Instead of the long pin River had expected, there was a think scabbard. The bun sagged a bit, making her look less perfect as she drew out the small blade.

"It is a contract signed in blood."

River opened her palm and Iris slid the edge across it deftly. It stung for a moment. Iris licked River's blood off of the blade and then put it back in its place. Iris then gripped River's hand into a fist and held it over the wide mouth of the ink well. Blood dripped from her hand and into the ink well. She dipped the quill in it once more, it came out dripping red. River signed her name and suddenly there was nothing. Nothing but the sound of Iris's voice as she said: "I will see you soon River Song."

"Rose, are you ready?" Mickey yelled from outside the door.

"Give me a minute." Rose called back. _Well a minute and 32 seconds._

"We will not be late again because of your bladder." Martha sighed.

Rose said nothing as she counted in her mind.

"Fine, we will meet you out in the jeep." Martha said and Rose heard them walk away and slam the door. She still didn't unlock the door.

"Forty-one, forty, thrity-nine…"

_There is no way. No way whatsoever. _Rose thought as she tapped her foot against the tile floor. _Except there is and you know it…_

Rose set the little white stick on the box and stepped back, feeling like she just ran a kilometer in the cold country air.

"Ten, nine, eight…"

Rose leaned her head against the wall, pounding it a bit. _No way, no way, no way…_

"Three, two…one." Rose took a deep breath and turned back and picked up the pregnancy test, her eyes closed. When she opened them, she was sure she could feel time stop around her.

"Rose, are you coming?" she heard Martha call from outside the door. She hadn't even heard her come in.

"Yes." Rose put the test in the box and shoved it under the pipes in bottom cabinet.

She threw the door opened and pushed past Martha.

"You know it is not good for newly married women to get so stressed." Martha said as she followed Rose down the stairs. "It causes stress on all those around her."

"Is this your medical opinion or your personal opinion?" Rose asked as she pulled on her coat.

Martha shrugged.

"Oh bugger it, let's just go."

In the jeep, Martha and Mickey tried to get Rose talking but ended up whispering to each other.

"It must be because of the Doc—John." Martha whispered to her husband.

Mickey nodded a bit. "He's only been gone for a week, shouldn't be this tough."

"Well you know what we were like after we had just gotten married." Martha pointed out. "Then again, we hardly left the house after we first got married."

Mickey smiled and held his wives hand tightly.

Rose wasn't really paying attention, but she got the vibe they were putting off. It was odd though, thinking about Mickey and Martha being together. When they had first appeared on Earth 2 a year ago, they were as happy and as in love as they were now. Their appearance had been a mistake, a secret project underneath the main building being done by interns with a chemistry set and temperamental temporal shifter. And suddenly they were there, wondering where the hell they were and how they got there. Then they were hugging everyone and laughing and smiling away. There hadn't even been talk of them going back, ever. They were the missing piece that had finally been found.

Rose decided it was time to speak up. "So there has been another ripple in the Rift?"

"According to Jinx, it's more than a ripple. They think there is an actual hole in it now. It just appeared just this morning." Mickey clarified.

"Do we know a point of origin?"

"January of the year 5,000,000,023, one of the New—"

"New New York's" Rose and Martha said together. Rose met Martha's eyes in the rearview window. It always got awkward between them when they spoke of the Doctor, the man they each had loved at some point in time.

"Yes, er, well, it originated from that point in space and time." Mickey said, breaking the tension.

"Do you think it was him?" Martha asked of no one.

Rose answered anyway. "It couldn't be. Why would he?"

"It's the Doctor, who knows the reasons why he does the things he does." Mickey said turning into the drive way of Torchwood HQ. He flashed a guard his badge, as did the others, and they were let through.

When they walked into the conference room, a jittery man with thick glasses and crooked teeth they knew as Jinx approached them tentatively. "Captains, I have the…most distressing…news." He choked out, pushing papers into their faces.

Mickey was really the only one who understood what anything on the papers meant: Mickey was the guns, Martha was the physician and Rose was the expert.

"This says something got through?" Mickey said rereading the data. "How is that possible."

"More than one thing sir." Jinx stuttered out. "Something with a radioactive signature a kilo wide and something…something else."

Martha looked at the data. "What do you mean 'something else'?"

"Something that carries the same genetic traces that all three of you and John Smith carry since your time aboard the time and relative dimension in space machine." Jinx said point at some lines on a graph on the tenth page of the paperwork. "Except this seems to be coded into the persons DNA."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, we thought you might want to ask it?" said Jinx unsurely. "That is if it is alive."

"What?"

"It says…right in there…that it landed right in the, er, holding cell we had designed after the last…mishap." Jinx was sweating profusely.

"What do you mean if it is still alive?" Rose asked.

"Whatever came in, it came in fighting. You can hear it though the walls of the cell." Jinx looked scared.

"Show us."

Jinx stood a good ten feet away from the large black box which seemed to be made of some sort of space marble.

And it was loud. Muffled shouting sounded from inside and the sound of laser blast seemed to radiated off of it.

People stood around watching it, waiting for something to happen, for it to explode or…anything really.

Mickey stepped forward. "Alright everyone who cannot open this thing, leave the room, the rest of you get to work."

Martha and Rose looked at each other. Martha leaned in and whispered. "Yes let's open the giant black box of doom, because that always ends well."

Rose giggled despite herself and backed up as the cube began to light up, opening slowly.

"Everyone at arms!" Rose called out, pulling her pistol out from her side holster.

The cube finally fell apart with a great flash of light and white smoke. And then they all heard:

"Oh sweetie, size doesn't matter, don't you know that?"

A great Dragon looking alien (or maybe it was an actual dragon) started rising out of the white smoke, green saliva hung from its meter long teeth and it's long, skinny, pink tongue lashed out as it took in its surroundings.

A frizzy haired woman ran out of the smoke, smiling. "It's not a friendly beastie, you can shoot. SHOOT!"

"Oh, right." Rose fired at the beast and ordered the others to do the same.

The room filled with the sound of lasers and hisses of anger. The beast's tail came out of the smoke, swinging madly. It missed Martha and Mickey but hit Rose and the stranger, throwing them against the back wall.

Rose landed right by River. She gripped her stomach frantically and looked up at the stranger. She spoke fast and the wind had been knocked out of her. "Who…what…how…huh?"

River smiled and said breathlessly. "Spoilers."

Rose wanted to ask her what she meant but didn't have time. River was on her feet again and charging the beast down with a rocket launcher that she had somehow managed to find.

"Here we go!" She dodged the tail again and propelled herself off a desk until she was in the air and had the gun in line with the dragon's open mouth. She shot and with a great whiz of fire and smoke it disappeared down the beast. When River landed again, she yelled "Run!"

Everyone did as she said. River helped Rose up and they ran towards the door. But after a second of confusion on the angry beast's face, it exploded. There were scales and smoking meat everywhere.

And the frizzy haired woman was laughing. And so was Rose.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Rose laughed, still laying down where she and the Frizzy Stranger had landed.

"Yes, I will say that was one of my best yet." She laughed as a stray chunk of dragon landed about five feet away from her.

"Who are you?" Rose laughed.

The woman got serious. "I am River Song and I have a message for you from the Doctor."

**Alright so it didn't take TOO long to get this out there. I hope everyone enjoyed it and I will have the next chapter up ASAP. And for those of you who are new to my story I really suggest you read Lost in Time. Thank you. Please read and review. Talk about anything. It doesn't even have to do with the story. Have a great day/night.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I am so very sorry that this took me so freaking long. Between school and being sicker than a dog, I have basically just been a giant blog of too tired to move much less think. Here is the next chapter. PS Lady X on the Radio, sorry.**

**Chapter Two: Nightmares**

"How did you get here?" Mickey asked.

River sighed, not really wanting to think about her meeting with the Acquirer. "I just hopped though with the help of an old time traveler."

"The Doctor?" Martha asked from across the interrogation table.

"No. An old Time Agent gone rogue."

"Jack Harkness?" Rose guessed. She was standing across the room in the corner, her arms crossed in front of her stomach.

"No, someone they call the Acquirer. Her name was Iris Bishop, but she thought the Acquirer sounded more menacing."

Rose looked a little disappointed as did Martha. Mickey was still glaring at River like she was something he had stepped in that had come out of the back end of a dog. His nostrils flared a bit.

"But why are you here?" Mickey pounded his fist into the metal table making Martha and Rose jump a bit.

"Oh Micks get off of it, she isn't here to hurt us." Rose said stepping forward.

Mickey turned on her. "But we don't know that. She may not even be who she says she is. She may not even know the Doctor."

"What can I do to prove it to you? That I know the Doctor at least because that would be the easiest."

"Where is the control room in the **TARDIS**?" Mickey shot out.

"See, now that is a tricky question, it has changed since his last regeneration."

Rose got closer to the table. "What regeneration?"

"The one he had after his first meeting with the Children of Time."

Mickey looked like he wanted to ask more questions but Rose took wasn't letting him. "Was he alone, I mean, was someone there with him, to…"

"Take care of him?"

Rose nodded a bit as she pulled a chair up from the wall. She sat the closest to River, River noticed, as if she wasn't afraid of her like the others were who were across the table as far as they could get.

"Rose, you can't always take care of him."

He rolled her eyes, dismissing the thought of that being true. "Was he alone?"

"Yes."

Martha spoke up. "Donna..?"

"Was already home. He checked on her when he still could, before…he checked on you to Rose. Think back to New Year's morning, 2005. The drunk in the alley."

Rose looked confused but River saw the realisation in her eyes. "I-I-that was the Doctor?"

River nodded. "You think he would just leave you without goodbye."

Rose smiled. "He said I was going to have an amazing year. He was right too. I can't believe I didn't put it together before, I mean I never even thought twice of it."

"He checked on you too Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

Mickey's face softened. "I remember, he came and checked on us too remember, Martha?"

Martha nodded and smiled at the thought. "We had just gotten married and were on a mission for UNIT…again one of the few times we left the house."

River looked Martha straight in the face. "Martha Jones, the girl the Doctor made into a soldier."

Martha said nothing and Roes saw Mickey reach over and give her hand an encouraging squeeze under the table. It was still a constant night terror that Martha had, the thought of being on her own for a year, running from the most powerful man on Earth. It had scarred her. Rose could remember when the Smith's had stayed with her and John before they got their own place. Martha would wake up screaming and Mickey would hold her until she stopped crying. Rose had held her then fiancé's hand and told him it hadn't been his fault. No one in the house got much sleep those few months.

"You got married." River broke Rose out of her reverie.

"Pardon?"

"Wedding ring. It looks like a diamond from the Blue Moon of Neptune."

"It is."

River waited for her to elaborate. She didn't.

"Do you know what the Meta-Crisis Doctor is?"

River nodded. "The Doctor born of blood of battle. The only hope. I believe Donna Noble had something to do with it, made him half human, half Time Lord. One heart."

"Yes, and do you know what happened to this new Doctor?" Rose said leaning forward. "He stayed here, that is all the Doctor ever told me."

Odd, the Doctor usually seemed to flaunt when one of his companions fell in love with him, thought Martha. One glance at Rose told her that she was thinking the same thing.

"I married him."

River blinked, not seeming to understand.

"I married the Meta-Crisis Doctor."

River seemed unsure of how to react to this news. But after a few seconds she smiled a genuine smile. "That explains _a lot_."

"I'm sorry?" Rose asked but before River could add anymore, Jinx walked into the room. "I have that file for you Captain Smith." He said moving his eyes around the room.

"Thank you Jinx." All three of the Smith's said.

"Uhh…" Jinx looked confused.

"Rose, why don't you read through it while Ms Song and I talk some more about…things." Mickey was trying to look and sound menacing but he looked more like he had something in his eye and he desperately needed to use the lavatory.

Martha flashed Rose a smile and with one last look at River, Rose followed Jinx out, grabbing the file out of his hand. A few doors down in the cozy den that Torchwood had set up for welcoming guest (ambassadors and delegates from different organizations and occasionally planets) is where Rose sat down on a red velvet settee and opened the file across her lap.

A few minutes later Rose sat straight up with a gasp. She raced from the room and into the interrogation room in tree seconds flat, fire in her eyes.

She threw the file at River who stared up at her, her eyes wide.

"You killed him! You killed the Doctor!" Rose screamed. Martha and Mickey looked between the two women in confusion. "It says right here," Rose picked up the file off the table and pulled the correct paper out. She pointed to the right passage. Mickey and Martha leaned in and read it as Rose paced the small room.

"Rose, sweetie, calm down." River put her hands up as if surrender. "I can explain that."

"Oh, you can explain—you can explain?" Rose screamed.

Suddenly the door burst open and a Lt. came rushing in. "The hole in the Void, there are things coming through, Professor Jinx set me here to find you."

Rose leaned forward into River's face. "This is not over."

River said nothing and followed them out as they rushed to the room she had first entered half an hour ago.

And there was screaming. There was nothing but screaming as an army of all sorts of beasties marched through what looked like a puddle in the middle of the room, hanging in mid-air. It was dark and angry and looked like it was ready to swallow the world hole.

"Take up arms!" Mickey yelled.

River pulled her pistol out of her holster and took up her fighting stance.

"Ready…Aim…Fire!" Yelled Mickey.

Rose fired at the army of beast. River was standing beside her firing with her own pair of guns, laughing madly the entire time. Rose wondered if this was how River had killed the Doctor. She wondered if she had made it hurt, she looked like the kind that would make it hurt. Rose stopped firing for a moment as she watched River. Her finger itched at the trigger.

_"This isn't right Rose." John said, his hands trembling. "This is what I have nightmares about."_

_ He looked so lost, so scared. Rose wanted to reach out and touch him. She also had had nightmares about this, what would happen if the Doctor's fear for Meta-Crisis Doctor had come true: What if he lost control and thirsted for the glory of battle? What would Rose do to keep the man she had grown to love from going over the edge? The answer had come to her as quickly as the thought had crossed her mind: she would do _anything _to keep him. _

_ "You're right: it is wrong." Rose took John's trembling hands. "And that you know that just proves you aren't that person he says you are."_

_ John's tear filled brown eyes bore into her green ones. She hoped she looked stronger than she felt. She leaned in as if the closer she got the closer she was to his broken heart._

_ "You are not that man you were the day on the beach and you are not the man he says you are. You are who you say you are."_

_ "But I don't know what this." He whispered. "I am who you tell me I am. You are the only one I can trust Rose."_

_ Rose wasn't sure if she believed this or not, but she nodded and squeezed his hand. "I think you are a better man than you have ever been. And I love you."_

_ This had been the first time she had said that. It had been more than a year since they had first kissed that day on the beach. She had always thought _this isn't my Doctor_. And it wasn't. He was John Smith, someone who occasionally worked for Torchwood on cases and constantly argued with her mother. He wasn't the Doctor, despite that is what everyone called him. He knew that she understood that and that he would wait until she figured it out. And it took her fourteen months, seven days, and sixteen days to realise it. Rose slowly leaned down and pressed her lips to his. _

_ After a moment they broke apart. She pressed her forehead to his. "Let's go, please, John."_

_ John got up off his knees and stood up over the unconscious villain who had told him he was a monster. John was going to kill him; the gun had been in his right hand the whole while Rose had been holding his left._

_ That night, after John had fallen asleep fitfully in her bed, Rose had returned to Torchwood and spoke with the man who called himself the Nightmare in his holding cell. _

_ "Well, Miss Tyler, here to have your fortune told?" he asked, laughing._

_ Rose stepped forward and unlocked his cell door, which seem to sober him up. Rose stepped in and closed it again behind her, locking her in with him. The Nightmare smiled again. Rose pulled a gun out of her back holster and pointed it at him._

_ "You hurt him and that gave you power." She cocked the gun. "But I am curious: if I hurt you, will you get more power or just bleed like everything else?"_

_ "Pain is pain, no matter what it comes from." But it didn't reach his eyes, which were watched the gun fearfully. _

_ Rose nodded. "So let's say I shoot you here," Rose fired the gun and it hit him in the thigh. It hit the wall behind him as he screamed in pain and fell to the ground, a clean shot. "So do you feel powerful now?"_

_ "You feel guilty, I can feed off that." _

_ She didn't feel that guilty, so there couldn't be that much. She fired again and hit him almost mirror opposite. He screamed out in pain._

_ "Stop…the guards, they won't let you do this, I have rights…the Shadow Proclamation…" he choked out._

_ "Tell me you are sorry." Rose said._

_ He said nothing. She stepped closer and he hissed. "Never…"_

_ Rose grabbed the collar of his shiny black tux and pulled him to his feet. She pressed the gun to his neck. "Tell me. You are. Sorry."_

_ "I'm…I'm sorry." He gasped out over the hold she had on him._

_ Rose wanted to pull the trigger, but she didn't. She let him drop back down to the floor in pain and left him like that. _

_ Before, Rose had always judge what was wrong by thinking _what would the Doctor do? _But in that moment, she had thought _what would John do?

Rose was home in bed again before anyone had woken up. She had never told anyone what had happened that night. Not even John, her now husband. She watched River as she fired off bullets gleefully. Rose's finger itched at the trigger and lifted it up.

_What would John do? _Not this.

_But she killed the Doctor! _Rose thought. A little voice in the back of her head that wasn't hers whispered _do what you know is right, what John and the Doctor would want._

Rose cocked her gun and aimed out upon the invading creatures and fired. She had been thinking so long that she hadn't realised that all but one of the beasts was down. With her last shot she had killed the only one left. Brilliant.

"Well it is about damn time you fired off a shot." Mickey called over.

Rose ignored him and turned on River, who was setting down her empty guns. "You are under arrest River Song."

River looked sad about this. "I know, but first there is something I should tell you."

"What's that?"

"Soon." And with that she pressed a button on her Vortex Manipulator (how could Rose not have seen it before?) and disappeared.

Rose screamed in frustration. She turned to the stunned but happy room. "Everyone who doesn't know how to fix the Tear, FIND RIVER SONG!"

River watched from a distance as Torchwood jeeps drove down the road going after her. How was she supposed to warn Rose if Rose hated her? _I would hate me too…_

And then there was the matter of the Acquirer. What was she going to have to do? When was it going to happen? According to other loss souls that she had spoken with, Iris could come at any time. And when she did, you better be ready. One man said that it had taken Iris 27 years until she asked for her Favor. A daughter of a woman who had owed a Favor to Iris said that when her mother had refused to leave at the exact moment Iris had ordered her to, she had been shot in the head without a second thought. And her baby sister had been taken as payment. River hated to think that it was the same girl who had brought forth the quill and contract, but she knew it probably was.

_Don't think about that now _River thought. _You must do what you came here to do before it is too late._

After researching into some secret files in the Torchwood database (honestly the firewalls of that place were useless) River found Rose's address. River input it into the Vortex Manipulator and in a blink she was standing outside a small cottage. It was cute, a starter home for Rose and…and John Smith. It was strange thinking of him like that that. She had never even met this version of the Doctor, yet, she felt as close to him as ever.

River stepped through the doorway, her finger brushing the trigger of her gun as she poked her head around the first doorway in the hallway. After another five minutes of making sure she was the only one in the house, she put the gun back in its holster. The house was quiet. There was a dripping faucet in the distance and the sound of the wood expanding in the attic. It was almost as eerie as being on the **TARDIS** alone at night.

River reached into her bag (which she had stolen back out of the interrogation room before she left) and pulled out the strange disk called the Diviner.

"_Play." River ordered._

_ The image sprang to life. "So you have officially met Belle and James. Nice aren't they? Good kids, it's too bad that you won't see them again anytime soon. I will. But listen, I have a lot to tell you, and it's not something that is written in your diary…yet."_

_ River knew she should feel confused, but this wasn't the first time she had gotten a mysterious message from herself. But this was the first time that she had had the message delivered to her._

_ The video continued. "There is a document attached to this chip that will give you times and dates, but I have to tell you face to face what you need to expect. Are you ready?"_

_ River didn't know why, but she nodded. "Yes."_

_"You have to travel back in time and across the Void to find this girl. The name will sound familiar: Rose Tyler. Yes the Doctor's former companion and…well, let's not go as far as to say girlfriend shall we?" The Video River said with a smirk. "Rose is in real danger and if you don't save her and give her the Diviner—and explain what it does, the lives of you, your family, and the Doctor will all be in danger. Because in a short time—from where you are at least, you will meet Rose Tyler…for the second time. And when you do, you must pretend like you do not know each other and she must be in on this."_

_ River shook her head. None of this was making any sense. Rose was in a different dimension, how could she end up in River's time? _And what the hell was a Diviner?

"_A Diviner is…well, I am going to tell you _our _definition of a Diviner, because the Doctor's is kind of ridiculous. A Diviner is a teleport device that will temporally transport you to a point in time that you specify; usually con artists use it to protect investments. Remember that word-for-word."_

_Video River paused for a moment and Real River took this as practicing time. After about 30 seconds, the video resumed. _

"_Rose will not believe you…at first." Video River smiled. "But I can tell you something that will make her trust you…" _

Now all River had do was wait for Rose to come home and she could convince her that she was a deranged killer. Brilliant.

River snuck down the hillside. Though it was only two in the afternoon the sky was dark and gave the countryside an evening glow. There was a storm on its way that was clear.

Surprisingly, the back door was unlocked and River slipped inside the quiet house with little effort. For some unknown reason, River had thought it would smell like the **TARDIS**, like warmth and old books, but it smelled like apples. River was in the small kitchen, there was a dining room adjacent to it with a big wooden table that could fit at least fifteen people, and a great big window covered in a white curtain.

Down the hallway there was a den with a flat screen television and a comfy looking couch. There were stairs going up into the second story but River didn't go up there. Instead she stayed in the long hallway whose walls were lined with pictures. Mostly pictures of family and friends. There was a picture of a handsome looking man in a World War II style coat, a cute looking black couple smiling away at each other completely unaware someone was taking a picture. There were a few of an older couple, a blonde woman who wore too much makeup and a balding man. They had a small boy with them in most of the pictures. And then there were some of Rose and the Doctor. _No!_ River corrected herself. _Not the Doctor, just a replica, a clone. Nothing more. _But it still bothered her seeing this version of the Doctor (even if she had never met him) and Rose kissing. River must have stared at their wedding picture for five minutes, trying to grasp what she was seeing. And then she wondered why the information Future River had told her about Rose didn't bother her at all.

Suddenly a thought came upon her: what if the Doc—John Smith came home suddenly and found her there?

And as if on cue, the floor above her creaked and there was a flash of lighting outside and the two lights River had turned on in the hallway, went out.

Rose was a Londoner all the way to her core and a little rain had never bothered her. But apparently the people she worked with were complete idiots and didn't think they should be working in the pouring rain.

"Rose, it's not just a _little _rain." Mickey said as thunder clapped outside. "You know storms could go on like this for days. River isn't going anywhere anyways, she needs something from you."

Rose looked at Mickey in confusion. "What makes you say that?"

"Because since this whole thing began she has been adamant about talking to you and only you. She either needs to tell you something or she needs you to tell her something."

"She killed the Doctor Mickey." It was Martha who said it. She was over by the window watching the rain beat against it.

"Maybe she wants, I dunno, forgiveness?"

"Well she's not getting it from me." Rose crossed her arms over her chest. Martha echoed her sentiment.

"Maybe she can explain herself, I mean those files are just the ones that we have. They might not even be the right ones, it is a miracle that we had them to begin with."

Martha looked over at her husband; her eyes were shiny with tears. "It doesn't matter, _she still killed him_. It is as simple as that."

"Well if she does want to talk to me, I hope she can do it while I am tearing her to pieces." Rose said.

Mickey looked at his two women, his best friend and his wife, knowing he was not going to win this one. Finally he sighed and put an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"We should all just go home. Rose, you can stay with us until this whole thing gets sorted out."

Rose shook her head. "No, just drop me off on your way home."

Martha looked a bit uneasy by this idea. "What if Mickey is right; what if she does want something?"

"Well I am not in danger of that."

"But maybe she wants you."

"What do you mean?"

"What if she wants to hurt you?"

Rose smiled and gave Martha's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I will be fine."

"Has anyone called John yet?" Mickey asked.

"No." Rose said. "He will freak out and he doesn't need to do that. Don't call him unless something bad happens."

Mickey and Martha agreed.

A few minutes later they were all in the car speeding down the muddy roads in their Torchwood jeep. After they had dropped Rose off at her house, Martha and Mickey looked at each other.

"Are you going to call him or am I?" Mickey asked, putting the jeep into gear.

"It's already ringing." Martha said putting the mobile up to her ear.

Maybe she should call John. She wasn't supposed to. She didn't even know where he was, only that it was some secret mission for Torchwood (which he hadn't even wanted to go on). But what if the thing this River Song wanted was John? She had killed one Doctor already, was she after hers?

It didn't matter either way; Rose was going to stop River. The plan had come to her in the jeep on the way home: Go home, grab the gun she had hidden in her dresser drawer and a rain coat and head back out to find her.

The power was out in the house. And the grey sky had given everything a dark grey tint, as if it were the evening or early in the morning. Lightning flashed outdoors and shadows danced around the den.

And then Rose heard, a subtle but apparent growl.

She was on high alert instantly, her gun at her side as she pressed her back against the wall. Her eyes scanned the dark room. After she made sure the den was empty, she slid along the hallway wall (careful to avoid knocking down any frames), and into the kitchen. Her back was warm from the friction.

"Rose, stay away from the walls!" the familiar voice echoed through the house.

"River Song!"

"It is in the walls, stay away from the walls!"

"Where—" Rose felt something pull her against the wall behind her. It was growling and she could feel the thing's hot breath on her neck. There was an arm around her neck, squeezing. Out of instinct, Rose dropped the gun, which fired off, and tried to pry the arm from around her neck. But there was nothing there but the collar of her leather jacket. But there was _something _there! She could feel it.

River came rushing into the room her, one gun in each hand and began shooting at Rose.

John hung up the phone quickly. River Song wasn't here to kill him of course, but Rose didn't know that and John knew that she would do anything to protect those she cared about. Much like River Song.

He had never truly met her, but he had the same memories as the other Doctor so he could still remember her. She fought as hard as she could the entire time. John had come to regret the way she had died. He was unsure of whom she was but he knew she was important. He hoped the other Doctor knew this too, wherever he was, or whoever he was.

"Is everything alright Mr. Smith?"

John slid the phone into the pocket of his blue suit jacket and turned to face the man behind him.

"Yes, I am fine, but I need to go home, my wife is having some problems." He felt himself perk up when he said wife. It made him want to giggle a bit. "An old friend of mine has come for a visit."

The man nodded, understanding. "When my old uni mate comes by she about has a fit."

"I should go home for a while anyways, I have been here too long." And that was true, he had been looking for a reason to go for a while.

"When do you think you will be back around?"

"Oh, a few months. This will take a while to build anyways."

The man nodded. "Sir, I must ask, what is so important about this woman that you are willing to endanger everyone to bring her through the Void?"

John pulled on his long brown over-coat and smiled. "Like you said this morning Professor Jamison, we all need someone to tell us what we are meant for."

"And you think this woman can do that for you?"

"Well, she always did before."

"You said the same about you wife, sir?"

"My wife is my life. But that woman is the reason for that. I have some things to tell her."

"Interesting name, isn't?" the man said. "Donna Noble."

"You don't know the half of it."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor walked out of the room, leaving Professor Jamison alone in the big room with the house sized Vortex Manipulator.

River continued to fire at the wall behind Rose, trying as hard as she could to miss her and hit what she couldn't see.

Finally Rose dropped to the ground, clutching her neck and coughing. River grabbed her arm and pulled her into the middle of the room.

"W-wh-what the hell was that?" Rose choked out.

"My guess it is a Brixtolomov."

"A what?"

"Invisible alien who can manipulate it's molecular structure." River scanned the walls around her. "It must have come through the Void with me, they aren't supposed to exist yet in the time I can through."

"Brilliant. Just brilliant." Rose coughed. "I _really _shouldn't be doing these kinds of things anymore."

River gave her a look. "No, you shouldn't."

Rose looked up at her, her eyes narrowing at the all-knowing tone of River's voice.

"What would you know?"

"More than I should."

Before Rose could say anything else, River was shooting at the wall behind Rose.

Rose crawled along the floor and grabbed her gun. When she turned back, she caught a glimpse of something behind River, who had unconsciously back herself up closer to the wall.

"River, behind you!"

But it was too late; the thing had a hold of River. Instead of her neck though, it seemed to have wrapped its invisible arms around her stomach and was now squeezing the life out of her.

"Where do I shoot?" Rose said pulling herself to her feet and pointing her gun at River.

"Just shoot!" River gasped.

"I might hit you!"

"Shoot behind me!"

"Did you kill the Doctor!"

River shook her head. "I will explain, please!"

Rose shot of three shots, which all hit the wall behind River, though one grazed her shoulder. River dropped to the floor, but was up on her feet again quickly.

"The door," she said, pulling Rose along with her. "We have to get out of here!"

River pulled the door open and Rose slammed it shut behind them. They ran up the hill behind the house. It was pouring down in buckets down and they kept slipping in the muck and slick grass. They were nearly out of breath once they finally collapsed about half-way up.

"God, how many do you think there are?" Rose asked, gasping for breath.

River's arms were wrapped around her waist. "They normally don't hunt in more than a pair, but we needed to get out of there, just in case."

"Do you think they are dead?"

River nodded.

They sat there in the pouring rain for a few silent minutes. Lighting sliced the sky around them and thunder shook the ground. They were freezing and soaked to the bone, but they were alive.

River groaned in frustration all-of-the-sudden.

"What?"

"I left my bloody bag in the den, behind the couch."

Rose shook her head. "We can get it later."

"No, because, I cannot be in this time much longer, or I will mess it up."

"Why are you here in the first place?" Rose asked.

"I have a message for you."

"From?"

"That is really confusing, so I am not going to answer it yet."

"_What can you tell me_?"

"I am a friend of the Doctor."

"But your file said you killed him."

River shook her head. "That too, is a hard thing to explain. Rose, we have to get down there and get my bag."

Rose didn't want to move, but she nodded. This seemed to be the only way she was going to get any answers.

So they slowly made their way down the wet hill, falling every few feet, picking each other up. It took them twice as long to get down as it had getting up.

Rose carefully pushed the door open and they stepped inside. The damage wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be, but it was still not very good.

"Sorry about your wall?" River tried as they accessed the damage together.

"We were thinking it needed a new coat of paint anyways."

This made them both laugh despite themselves. They laughed for a bit, until it died away in the rumble of the thunder. Carefully they moved to the den. River grabbed her bag.

"Is there a place we could sit down and talk, I still need to catch my breath." River asked, her eyes couldn't seem to meet Rose's.

Rose nodded. "The dining room, I suppose."

River followed Rose into the room with the large table and they down across from each other.

"What is the message?"

River took a deep breath. She just wanted to get it out and into the open. But now looking at her, she knew why the Doctor had held such potent feelings for her in the first place. She was beautiful and a fighter. And she was strong. She was strong enough for what she had to be told.

"Rose Tyler, in about three and half years, you are going to die."

**Finally. Finally! Okay, so I am only planning one more chapter for this one and I swear, I will have it up as soon as I possibly can! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. And thank you for your patience. Also, I haven't felt much like editing lately so if you spot anything wrong please tell me and I will go back and fix it. Sorry.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Revelations **

"What?"

River took another deep breath. "Rose, I am sorry, but—"

"What do you mean I am going to die?"

"I am a companion of the Doctor—"

"You are a hell of a lot more than that; I read your file remember?"

"That's not the point; the point is you have to trust me."

Rose stood up and backed away from the table. "Why the hell should I trust you?"

Rose put a hand on the wall to steady herself and another on her stomach. She looked like she was about to topple over.

"Are you alright?"

Rose said nothing.

"Rose," River continued. "When we see each other again, we have to pretend that we don't know each other, the Doctor—"

"'When we see each other again'? Are you going to kill me?"

River straightened her posture and said with conviction. "No."

"Are you sure about that?"

"You have to do what I say Rose." River reached into in her leather bag and pulled out the Diviner.

"What is that?" Rose asked backing away from her even more.

"It is a Model 4 Diviner. This will help you. It will show you how to save the people you care about. All you have to do is—"

"How do I know you are who you say you are?" Rose asked suspiciously. "Maybe you aren't even River Song."

"Whether I am who I say I am doesn't matter, it just matters whether or not you trust me or not."

"And does it really do what you say it does?"

River nodded. Before Rose could say anything else her mobile rang. It was Torchwood.

She nodded a few times and said she understood and that she'd make the necessary calls. When she hung up she looked at River with hard eyes. "It seems your presence here opened a permanent hole in the Void."

Not just a tear, a full blown hole in the fabric of space. Brilliant. River pushed the thought to the back of her head.

"I'm sorry about that." River said. She needed to say what she came here to say. "In about three in half years, you're going to have to use this, Rose. I know that it is hard to trust me, but if you want to protect the ones you love, you have to do what I say."

Rose was listening now. "Which is?"

"When the time comes when you feel you have been betrayed by the Doctor, you will ask this a question: What would happen if the Doctor had come to help us?"

"The Doctor would never betray me." Rose said instantly.

"You're right."

"Then why?"

"Because, you have to, to protect not only the Doctor, but your unborn child."

"My what?" She sat back down in the chair across from River.

River grabbed Rose's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "You're going to have a child, Rose."

"How did you know I'm pregnant? I haven't even told John yet." Rose put her free hand on her stomach. "I mean, I just found out this morning!"

River said nothing.

"You found the test, didn't you? Under the sink, in the Lou."

River shook her head. "You need to trust me Rose, I know what I am saying."

Rose shook her head. "No. The Doctor would never betray me and you are—you are a liar River Song!"

"Rose, I know that this must be hard to understand. I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you this, but all the signs point to you dying in three years Rose. I am just here because I am doing what I need to do, to help you. To help yourself."

River stood up and crossed to the table to look Rose in the eyes. "I am so sorry Rose."

Rose slapped her, surprising her so much that she nearly fell over.

"You don't get to be sorry!" Rose hollered. "You can't just tell someone they are going to die and then say you are sorry! Like you feel guilty! Are you going to kill me, is that it? No? Well will it hurt, hmm? Will it be quick or long and painful? What answers can you give River? Do you even know what the hell you are talking about?"

River stood up straight. She was beginning to cry at the helplessness in Rose's voice.

All the anger was out of Rose's voice now, now she was begging. "What can you tell me River? Please? Tell me something. Anything. Please."

"I can't tell you anything else Rose. I don't know anything else."

"I don't believe you." She cried.

River grabbed the Diviner off of the table and pushed the side of it, just like the directions had been. Nothing happened. Her eyes were blurry with tears.

"What was that supposed to accomplish?" Rose asked bitterly.

"Ask your question Ro

se Tyler." Said a voice from behind her. Rose jumped up and standing behind her was…herself.

"What the hell is that?"

"The person you trust most right now." River recited.

"Ask you question Rose Tyler?"

Hesitantly, Rose stepped closer. "Is it true, what River has said to me?"

"Yes."

"So I will die."

"Everyone dies Rose Tyler."

"But will it be like she said?"

The image of her blinked a few times until it continued in its unemotional voice. "What River Song has told you is what she believes."

"So I might live?"

The Diviner blinked. "Your future has not been decided yet."

"So there is a chance?"

"You have already asked that question."

River peeked at this. "You can't ask the same question twice. If someone else has asked it—ever it will not answer."

Rose nodded stiffly and looked back at the mirror image of herself. "Can I trust River Song?"

"Yes."

Rose nodded again and sat back down in her chair, her face drained of color. "Turn it off. Please."

"Thank you, we are done." The image of Rose disappeared and River's eyes seemed a little less blurry.

"You really are who you say you are?"

"Yes. Will you do what I ask?"

Rose nodded. She had a few silent tears on her cheeks. "What's going to happen to my family? My friends?"

River smiled. "They are going live, Rose, I swear."

"And…and me?" she asked again, without any hope left in her voice..

River's face fell. She had just told this young woman she would die in such a short time. She would never see her child grow or her husband's hair turn grey. She wasn't even going to see the next leap year.

"You're a hero Rose." Was all River could say.

Rose wiped a tear away and picked up the Diviner, examining it. "How does it work?"

"You tap right here. It _should_ light up, make some noise, and then you ask your question when the time comes. I think."

"Why didn't it do it just now?"

River looked a little sheepish.

"You're not sure?"

"I've only seen it used one time."

"Brilliant. And this will save everyone?"

"Yes. Most everyone."

Rose looked away, afraid of what River meant by that. "Did the Doctor send you?"

"No."

"But you got this from him?"

River smiled. "More or less."

"You stole it?"

River shrugged.

"Did you really kill the Doctor?"

River paused. "Yes, but he didn't die."

River could tell by Rose's expression, she believed this. Or she wanted to. Or she just didn't know what else to say. They sat there for a few minutes in silence. There was an elephant in the room, crushing them all.

"Do you think…?" Rose began, but didn't finish. River didn't ask her to finish. She cleared her throat. "How is he?"

River smiled. "As mad as a hatter. So the same."

"Is he…what does he look like?"

"He's changed since you've seen him last, that I know. He seems younger, but he still has that old look about him."

"Like he has seen too much?"

"Yes."

"And his companions?"

"Good people. A young couple from Leadworth. They're married. She's Scottish."

Rose laughed a bit. "Is he happy?"

River nodded. "Yes, I believe he is."

Rose smiled a bit but it was a sad smile. "I can still hear the sound of her. In my dreams. I can still remember the smell of the Forest of Delma and the way the Medusa Cascade looked at sunset. I can hear him laughing."

Lightning flashed outside. River squeezed Rose's hand once more and stood up. "I have to go."

Rose just stared at the Diviner, one had still on her stomach, absently. Before River left the room, she said "You name her Noble."

And Rose laughed a real proper laugh.

_I am going to die. I am going to die. Oh my God, I am going to…_

"Rose? Are you here?" called a familiar voice.

Rose quickly grabbed the Diviner and, for lack of a better place to hide it, shoved it as gently as she could under the cushion on her chair. You could still see it if you looked at it right, but it would have to do. John walked into the dining room, a concerned look on his face.

"Martha called me, is everything alright? I heard there was someone here to see you."

Rose opened her mouth but nothing came out. She couldn't tell him what she had just learned. He would never let it happen. But that thought just made her want to tell him all the more. She compromised. "She's gone, everything's fine, but I have something to tell you."

John didn't like the sound of her voice. "What is it?"

"I took…I took the test and…" she looked worried.

"What test? What's wrong Rose?"

"I'm pregnant."

River took the back door out because she heard someone driving up. When she passed the front widow of the country house, she saw Rose and the Doctor—no John Smith—talking. The Diviner was tucked under the cushion Rose had been sitting on and just barely visible. River couldn't hear them but she knew what was happening.

Rose was telling her new husband she was pregnant. She looked uncertain of how he would respond. His face seemed to be frozen in a look of confusion, but he put his hand on her stomach and smiled, he smiled so wide that River thought his face would break. Even through the window, River could hear him yell "We're having a baby!"

John picked up Rose and swung her around. River watched his lips as he spoke. He was repeatedly saying I love you, I love you, I love you…

**Epilogue**

River slid the door to her cell open, stepped in, and pulled it shut behind her.

"Home sweet home."

River froze at the sound of the cold voice. She slowly turned around.

Iris, the Acquirer stood just a few feet from her cell, her hands folded neatly, her blue dress glinted, as did the small dagger-pin she had tucked in her hair.

"How long has it been for you?" she asked stepping forward.

"Almost two years."

"It's been nearly two decades for me."

"And you haven't aged a bit." River sighed. "What is it you want Iris?"

"My price."

River nodded, understanding. "The Favor."

"It is time to pay River Song. But first," her voice became curious. "Where have you been?"

"Saving the universe. I just got back from a trip to Earth."

"Yes from your house, am I correct? With your two little friends. Your companions: Belle and James."

"Yes."

Iris's smiled. "And how long have they been with you?"

"About ten years for Belle and two for James."

"Don't you ever get confused River, by your time changes? Two years ago, Belle and James had visited you for the first time. And now you say you've known them for years. It must drive you insane."

"Well, that is their purpose, to keep me on track. I don't ask too many questions anymore, neither should you."

Iris's eyes flashed with anger at River's comment.

"You payment is due River."

"So you said."

"I suggest you pack. You are leaving tonight."

"Am I? What if I am busy?"

Iris did not look amused by River's nonchalant response. She pulled a small piece of folded stationary paper out of one of the pockets on her blue evening gown and handed it to River through the bars. "These are your directions. Leave tonight and I expect you to be back quite soon, is that clear?"

River read it in a quick glance. "This is a suicide mission."

"Yes, let's hope you get back to me before you die." Iris said. She was walking away now, her heels clicking on the stone floor.

"This is insane Iris!" River called.

"Good luck River Song." Iris called back, her voice echoing. "Say hello to your companions before you go, they may need to help you."

River stood there for a moment, thinking. "Bloody hell."

She turned back to her cell and looked about her room. On her bed was a small folder, something she hadn't noticed before. Her name was written on it. Speaking of her companions…

First she had to make a call.

"Hullo?" it was Amy who picked up, she sounded like she had been laughing.

"Well hello mum. Would you be a dear and tell the Doctor to come and get me."

"We just dropped you off River?" Amy said, confused. "After we dropped of Rose?"

_That's right, that's where they are now!_ "Well, I need a pick up."

"Where are you?"

"Stormcage, the 22 of May, 6089652."

"Alright, are you sure, I mean, is there something wrong?" Amy's voice was full of concern.

"No. But Amy…please just come quickly."

"We are on our way River."

River hung up and dialed another number.

"This is Belle." The voice on the other end of the line said.

"Belle, its River."

"What year?"

"6089652. I just left you and Jimmy in 2012. I need your help."

"But you haven't been gone 10 minutes." Belle laughed. "What could you possible do to get in trouble in ten minutes?"

"Belle Noel Tyre, I am a Time Travelling archeologist, I can get in trouble in less than four minutes."

Belle laughed. "Alright, well what is it this time?"

"It's time for you to meet the Doctor."


End file.
